The present invention relates to a device for transferring a tire carcass band from a carcass band building station to a tire building station, and also to a method of building a tire using such a device.
The commonly used building techniques for radial tires require that the tire carcass is formed as a cylindrical carcass band at a carcass building drum, and is then transferred to a tire building drum where it is formed into a torroidal shape and the circumferential reinforcing breakers and tread are added. The carcass band can be transferred directly from the carcass building drum to the tire building drum, or alternatively the carcass bands are housed for a short time period between the two operations. With larger size tires, for example, truck tires, agricultural tires, and off-the-highway tires, the cylindrical carcass bands may not have sufficient strength to support themselves during transfer between the carcass band building and tire building drums. The consequent slight distortion of the carcass band under its own weight may effect the quality of the eventually produced tire.
The present invention provides a transfer device that seeks to minimize the above problem.
The present invention also provides a method for the transfer of tire beads to the tire building drum, and the accurate location of the beads with respect to the carcass band.